This nice big package of English language gay men’s shorts showcases some of the best films of the year, fresh from the gay and lesbian film festival circuit. Highlights include the achingly beautiful summer drama, Silver Road; the smart and peppy Logo Click List hit Waiting for Yvette (starring Wendie Malick); and the most hilarious gay short of the year, Babysitting Andy.

When Jonathan Parker was 4 years old, his mother’s words and a chance encounter with a Salvation Army Kris Kringle instilled in him a lifelong belief in the legend of Santa Claus. Now 24 and his parents long passed away, Jonathan is a spacey, pot-smoking college drop-out and multi loser in romance who has one shot left to find his true love; he writes a letter to Santa Claus. After meeting Toby, a new co-worker just moved to the city, Jonathan is convinced this is the one who was sent for him, even after he meets Toby’s long time boyfriend Keith. This doesn’t deter Jonathan, who proceeds to wreck everyone’s lives in pursuit of his dream man. Fighting snags, traps and pitfalls to Christmas Day, will Jonathan land his Christmas wish? Written by Kieran Turner [imdb.com]

Set in the south of France, Riki Kandinski and his elder brother Fredrico, come back to their family castle for their father’s funeral. They haven’t seen each other in a long time and Fredrico knows nothing about his younger brother, but he notices that he is making big money and living in luxury all for a few days work a week. By pure chance, Fredrico gets his hands on a gay porn magazine and sees his brother in it. According to Riki, he’s had more than six hundred men and only four women. The brothers who grew up apart will have to get to know another again but both their lives change drastically when they witness a woman’s death in a car crash. Written by russart.com [imdb.com]

Forced to give up his dreams of art school, Zach spends his days working a dead-end job and helping his needy sister care for her son. In his free time he surfs, draws and hangs out with his best friend, Gabe, who lives on the wealthy side of town. When Gabe’s older brother, Shaun, returns home, he is drawn to Zach’s selflessness and talent. Zach falls in love with Shaun while struggling to reconcile his own desires with the needs of his family. Written by bill stephens [imdb.com]

In the world of Thai organized crime there is a star assassin – Maek ((Rattanaballang Tohssawat) – who kills ‘bad people’ to satisfy his bosses but cannot kill ‘good people’. He is the sole support of his mother and younger brother, both of whom suffer from AIDS – the source of their infection is the abusive live-in stepfather. Maek wants to provide a good home for his little family, somewhere away from the slums of Bangkok, so that his little brother will no longer have to ply the hustler role on the streets to help support his ailing mother. Maek is assigned a ‘hit’ and in stalking the young lawyer he is supposed to assassinate he finds an attraction to the obviously good, married, handsome Iht (Chaiwat Thongsaeng). When the moment comes to complete his grim duty, Maek cannot kill a ‘good man’ and in the setup Maek himself is shot. Iht is compassionate and rescues Maek from the streets, taking him to his shelter to nurse him back to health. The two men bond and eventually submit to their passion. Yet when Maek recovers, he cannot face the truth of his feelings and separates himself from Iht. Iht’s wife is suspicious about Iht’s distance, stalks him, and witnesses a secret moment of passion between Maek and Iht, and the discovery turns her into a potential assassin herself. Iht is now by himself, unable to regain Maek’s commitment until a series of events leads to the ultimate arrest of Maek: from the imposed separation caused by Maek’s incarceration, Iht remains faithful to his love. The ending could have been triumphant (and for moments it is, emotionally), but instead Poj Amon opts for tragedy, a writer’s decision that makes the film even more powerful. [Amazon review]

Antonio (Kenji Garcia) is a curious fifteen year old boy who is beginning to come to terms with his own sexuality. Although his straight best friend, Mike (Jiro Manio), has been supportive of his coming out, his first sexual conquest has led to the destruction of his friendship with his other best buddy, Nathan.
Antonio’s exploration of his identity unfolds as his family begins to break up. His altruistic mother, Tere (Shamaine Buencamino) is in complete denial that his father has already abandoned them. A shocking tragedy begins to spiral up as Antonio meets his hedonistic uncle Jonbert, who becomes the boy’s sexual obsession.

In the small, closed community of a provincial town, Magda tries to maintain a balance within a family facing many serious problems. The families apparently normal, bourgeois, every-day life will crack open, bringing to the surface hatred and passions of the kind that lie well-hidden in the mists of the nearby lake. An intense plot and a totally unexpected ending make up this film, which features characters who are vulnerable, innocent and ordinary, but who become ruthless and callous, worrying only about protecting their financial resources. The offences are disproportionately serious compared to the financial benefits they try to secure. Written by Dr.Daggla [imdb.com]